Progress : of a doubtful
kind ?
===============================================
Indian Express ( 19 Oct ) carries following news report :
Not more than 1,400 voters per polling
station: Election Commission
The Election Commission has decided that
the number of voters per polling station should not exceed 1,400 as the paper
roll attached to the paper trail machine cannot print more than 1,500 slips and
attaching a new roll when polling is on is a cumbersome process.
In an order issued to its officials in
all states, the commission has said that since the thermal paper roll used in
the VVPAT (voter-verifiable paper audit trail) machines can print approximately
1,500 slips, it has been decided that the “maximum number of electors to be
assigned to any polling station shall not exceed 1,400”.
The poll panel explained that nearly 100 slips are
printed during commissioning of the paper trail machines and during mock poll.
Since a little over 1,400 slips can be printed per roll after that, the number
of voters should not exceed 1400.
It believes the process of replacing the paper roll
can be cumbersome when voting is on. All polling stations in Himachal Pradesh
assembly polls will have paper trail machines.
What will this mean in terms of additional expenditure
?
It is reported that the Election Commission has asked
for additional amount of Rs 3174
crores for purchase of VVPAT machines
Could this decision lead to a huge increase in the
Number of Polling Booths ?
During 2014 general elections , we had :
=====================================================
# 814.5 million
eligible voters
( an increase of 100 million
over 2009 election )
Extrapolating , in 2019
election , we could end up with another addition of 100
million voters , taking the
total to 914 million !
At no more than 1400 voters
per booth , those additional 100 million voters could ,
well require another 71,400 polling booths
But , since , many booths may have
far less than 1400 voters , we may end up
requiring 80,000 booths
In 2014 elections , we had 930,000 booths . Add another 80 ,000 !
=======================================================
# 1.4 million EVM
For those additional
polling booths , we would need another 80,000
EVM !
=======================================================
# 989 Counting
Booths
How many more would we
need in 2019 ?
=======================================================
# Rs 30,000 crores
(
total combined election expenditure ( estimated )
( Govt + Parties + Candidates )
It would be safe to assume that this
would go up to Rs 40,000 crores in 2019
=======================================================
# 11,00,000 Personnel
Expect this figure to swell to , at least 12 lakh persons
=======================================================
If we just implement mobile app “ VotesApp “ , not only we could save nearly all of the
expenditure on part of the government ( - and even enable the government to earn Rs 20,000
crores ) , we could manage the entire exercise in just ONE DAY and declare the results by 7 pm on the same day !
Cannot believe ? You will , after reading :
“
Election Reforms “ Summarized [ 18 Aug
2017 ]
19 Oct 2017
www.hemenparekh.in / blogs
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